UV Damage

[Bushwhacker]

What material is susceptible to UV damage? I know enough to not leave my WBBB out in the sun, but what about my CF tarp or my UCRs and tree straps? Would a CF tarp be able to block the UV damage to my hammock? What about foliage? If you camp in the shade of a tree, can you leave the hammock out all day? Has anyone noticed any damage to their equipment?

I also know that it's most important to wear sunblock between something like 10am and 6 pm. Do the same rules kind of apply to hammocks? As in if you tear down your set up before the sun gets 15° above the horizon (or whatever the magic number is), you should be fine?

[rhjanes]

Well, I left a CF tarp hanging in the Texas Sun/Shade for 8 weeks.....stressed.....it was pulling apart. Expensive lesson. I would NOT leave any of you camping gear hanging. Buy a cheap backyard hammock for that.

[SilvrSurfr]

There was a post some time back of someone whose CF tarp delaminated after being left in the sun for two months. Personally, I don't like exposing any of my gear to UV rays so I rarely hang tarp or hammock in the daytime.

[5th]

If I'm out backpacking, I take down my hammock when I leave and don't worry about UV. I'll replace it with something else new and exciting before UV damage has any noticeable effect anyway.

At home I won't leave them out for more than a day or so.

Beyond that, I don't worry about it. My hammocks are all in fine shape.

[OutandBack]

Colorado and Utah, my two hangouts is UV hell.
I consider all my hammock gear as expendables. Life is too short and beside
one needs a reason to buy the lates shiny thing, right?
If I can get 2-3 years of use out of a tarp (enter any piece of hammock kit here) _________
I feel I got my moneys worth.

I guess what I am trying to say is the sun does not dictate whether i'll use a piece of gear.
YMMV

[99Star]

Judge from back yard canopy tent have to replace every 2 - 3 years, yes, the Sun is very damaging when exposed long enough. Come to think about it, I left my tarp hang full week at summer camp, but it's under tall trees, so a lot of shade.

[OneClick]

Judge from back yard canopy tent have to replace every 2 - 3 years, yes, the Sun is very damaging when exposed long enough. Come to think about it, I left my tarp hang full week at summer camp, but it's under tall trees, so a lot of shade.

LOL you should see my grill cover. It was a nice neutral greenish-gray 4 months ago. Now it's basically pink! $50! Not happy about that.

[genixia]

I treated an ENO doublenest with permethricin and left it hung in the sun to dry. The next day it was already fading where exposed.

I haven't seen any problems out in the woods though. I'm about to test kevlar treestraps, so I'll have to keep a watch out as kevlar is susceptable to UV damage.

Regarding cuben; The UHMWPE reinforcement has high resistance to UV, I'm guessing that the PE scrims do not. (Polyethylene varies by type).

[Bushwhacker]

Regarding cuben; The UHMWPE reinforcement has high resistance to UV, I'm guessing that the PE scrims do not. (Polyethylene varies by type).

Could you remind me what those acronyms mean?

UHMWPE

-> Pretty sure that's the material dyneema and cuben is made of, but what's the reinforcement? Are you saying the individual fibers are strong, but the mylar sheets around it are not?

PE scrims

-> ???

[Theosus]

UV will zap any fabric, it seems. I have towels I've left on the deck for a couple of days in a good old SC summer... they look like they were tie-dyed.